Anderson Aldrich to make first in-person court appearance Tuesday

Anderson Aldrich, the alleged Club Q nightclub shooter, is scheduled to make a first in-person appearance at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Colorado’s 4th Judicial District Court.

Aldrich is facing 10 arrest-only charges relating to the Club Q shooting, which took place on the evening of Nov. 19 in Colorado Springs. Aldrich is accused of killing five and injuring 17; police say Aldrich entered Club Q and shot at the patrons inside for about six minutes before being stopped by two bystanders.

The District Attorney’s Office stated last week via social media that it will announce the full list of charges filed against Aldrich at the hearing on Tuesday morning. Additionally, court records show there will be argument held over some of the motions filed by the defense counsel for Aldrich.

Court records show eight motions have been filed by the defense since Aldrich’s booking in El Paso County jail.

The records show the defense has already made a demand for a preliminary hearing to be held, so a date could be set on Tuesday for that hearing. However, Aldrich’s defense council could also make a request for a competency evaluation to be performed on their client to determine if Aldrich is competent to stand trial, which could delay a preliminary hearing if requested.

District Attorney Michael Allen is holding a press conference immediately following the hearing.

Aldrich previously appeared in court virtually for a hearing on advisement, where the defense requested a new date to be set for the first appearance, and also requested for the prosecution to provide the defense with a copy of the arrest affidavit.

The request for a new date was denied by Judge Charlotte Ankeny, and the affidavit is currently sealed and unavailable for the public to access.

It’s unclear if Aldrich’s previous arrest for making a bomb threat in 2021 will be addressed in court on Tuesday or at the press conference. Previous reporting from The Gazette detailed that in 2021 Aldrich was arrested for making a bomb threat in Aldrich’s grandparent’s home, and that Aldrich claimed a desire to be “the next mass shooter” within the arrest affidavit for the incident.

The 2021 case against Aldrich was dismissed and sealed. The District Attorney’s Office has yet to make a statement regarding the 2021 case and its sealing.

Aldrich currently is in El Paso County jail with no possibility of posting bond. According to court records filed by Aldrich’s defense attorneys, Aldrich identifies as nonbinary and uses they/ them pronouns.